VOTER POWER
Women’s Rights
Myth: Many Americans believe Planned Parenthood is essentially an abortion mill.
Fact: Abortions account for around 3% of the services performed by Planned Parenthood, but more than a third of their service is contraception, which reduces unwanted pregnancies—and abortions.
Myth: Many Americans believe abortion clinics use tax money for abortions.
Fact: The Hyde Amendment expressly forbids the use of government funds for abortions.
Roe v. Wade was a controversial decision, and the controversy has only grown ever since. Many Americans, even pro-choice advocates, have a sincere interest in reducing the number of abortions.
But misinformation is keeping the conversation from civility. A considerable number of Americans believe that abortion providers, particularly Planned Parenthood, are abortion mills, using tax money to murder unborn children. Some even believe that these organizations take advantage of an underground market for body parts to profit from access to vulnerable babies.
Where are the manufactured scandals, and where is the truth? When does regulating healthcare cross the line into denying women their basic rights? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we have a fact-based conversation around such a heated issue?
New Tax Reform Bill Counts Fetuses as People
Last Friday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bundle of bills known as “Tax Reform 2.0.” This proposal would count “unborn children” as beneficiaries under 529 education savings plans. Democrats say it’s just a way for Republicans to push their anti-choice agenda.
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New White House Aide Has a History of Shielding Sexual Predators
New White House Communications Director Bill Shine has decades of experience in the TV industry—including time as an executive at Fox News, where he allegedly covered up accusations of sexual misconduct by former Fox CEO Roger Ailes and commentator Bill O’Reilly.
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Is “Hostile Sexism” Playing Out in Politics?
Something called “hostile sexism” may have played a role in the 2016 election. A recent study from psychologists at Harvard University shows that after controlling for all factors, hostile sexism remained a predictor of voting for Donald Trump.
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Roe v. Wade Is on the Chopping Block
Justice Anthony Kennedy will retire at the end of July, handing President Trump his second SCOTUS nomination within 500 days of the start of his presidency. Women’s rights advocates worry that a new judge could put the historic Roe v. Wade on the chopping block.
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Women in Politics: Political Representation Is Changing
An unprecedented number of women are running for office in 2018, many of whom were inspired by the results of the 2016 presidential election. Although political representation is growing, the process is slow, and female candidates often face uphill battles.
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SCOTUS Rulings Are a Victory for GOP
The latest rulings by the Supreme Court present a stinging reminder of the lasting impacts of the GOP’s 2016 nomination blocking tactics and rule changes in the Senate designed to cement Republican control of the nomination process.
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Sessions: No Asylum for Victims of Domestic Abuse and Gang Violence
In a move many are condemning for cruelly taking women’s rights back to the “Dark Ages,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions has reversed an Obama-era ruling that provided asylum to an El Salvadorian woman who said her husband had abused her physically, emotionally, and sexually.
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New Gallup Poll Shows Americans Are Still Divided on Abortion
A new survey conducted by Gallup reveals that the U.S. is split right down the middle when it comes to abortion. Among those surveyed, 48 percent identify as pro-choice and 48 percent identify as pro-life.
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Arkansas Outlaws Pill-Induced Abortions
“Arkansas is now shamefully responsible for being the first state to ban medication abortion,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “This dangerous law also immediately ends access to safe, legal abortion at all but one health center in the state.”
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Anti-Abortion Laws: Class Warfare?
A recent article shows that anti-abortion laws do more harm than good, especially for poor women. Restricting access to safe and legal abortions does very little to deter them. Instead, it makes women less safe and it hurts our economy by keeping mothers entrenched in poverty.
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